NFL

New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals

· National Football League
1-0, 1-0 Away
Final
16 - 14
0-1, 0-1 Home

Rookie QB Spencer Rattler leads winning drive in 4th quarter, the Saints top the Cardinals 16-14

Rattler — a fifth-round selection out of South Carolina — spearheaded a 12-play, 56-yard drive in the final two minutes, capped by a 37-yard field goal from Charlie Smyth with five seconds left.

“We had zero issues with operation, operations went super smooth,” Rattler said. “We could have had better execution here and there, that is what first games are for to work those kinks out. First live game, I was happy to go in there and play ball, put my foot on the gas and come out with a win.”

The Saints are trying to decide on a backup quarterback behind Derek Carr and it’s a duel between Rattler and second-year player Jake Haener.

Haener played most of the first half, completing 9 of 13 passes for 107 yards. His big moment came near the end of the second quarter when he connected with A.T. Perry on a 58-yard pass down the sideline, which set up a field goal. Perry finished with a team-high 85 yards receiving.

Rattler had a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, giving the Saints a 13-7 lead. A star at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix before going on to Oklahoma and South Carolina, he was 9 of 17 for 70 yards.

“I thought he executed with poise,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “I thought he made some plays, I thought he was able to create with his feet when things didn’t go exactly how you wanted it to. So I thought he did a good job.”

Rattler's mom is a second-grade teacher in the Phoenix area and brought some of her students out to the game, along with friends and family.

Saints rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga started and played a decent chunk of the first half. He was selected with the No. 14 overall pick out of Oregon State.

The Cardinals sat most of their starters with a few exceptions, including No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. The former Ohio State receiver — who was the first non-quarterback selected in the draft — played one series and didn’t catch a pass.

Arizona starting quarterback Kyler Murray didn’t play as expected.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said he wanted to use the preseason to evaluate backup quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune, who are fighting for the No. 2 spot. Ridder started 13 games for the Atlanta last season before the Cardinals added him in an offseason trade that sent receiver Rondale Moore to the Falcons.

Ridder played the first half, completing 4 of 9 passes for 43 yards while also carrying the ball five times for 39 yards. He didn't get great protection from the offensive line, which curbed his production.

“You'd like to get some first downs, but that's just not on the quarterback, that's everybody,” Gannon said. “He's not blocking for himself and he's not running routes for himself, so I think as a whole, we need to do better.”

Tune topped Ridder’s passing output on the first drive of the second half, leading a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Michael Carter’s 11-yard touchdown run. The second-year quarterback 4 of 5 passes for 54 yards during the drive.

Tune finished 15 of 24 for 163 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass with 1:55 left in the fourth.

“I felt more comfortable, seeing the defense and was confident in the gameplan,” Tune said. “I was seeing it well and playing on time.”

New Orleans played more of its starters than Arizona, but most weren't in the game for long. Carr completed 2 of 6 passes for 12 yards, Alvin Kamara had two carries for three yards and Chris Olave made one catch for 10 yards.

It was a slow offensive start for both teams. The Saints led 6-0 at the halftime after two field goals from Blake Grupe, one from 26 yards and the other from 33.

Arizona had the edge in total yards, leading 328 to 286.

Murray sits Gannon announced earlier this week that Murray won't play at all in preseason games as the team tries to protect his health.

Murray missed roughly 11 months while rehabbing a torn ACL in his right knee that caused him to miss parts of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He returned for the last eight games last season.

Up next Saints: At San Francisco on Aug. 18.

Cardinals: At Indianapolis next Saturday.

How can I watch Saints vs. Cardinals?

  • TV Channel: Saints at Cardinals 2021-22 NFL, week 2 is broadcasted nationally on NFL+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Saints vs. Cardinals on DAZN.

Scoring Summary

NO FG 2nd Period 2:58 Blake Grupe 26 Yd Field Goal
NO FG 2nd Period 0:00 Blake Grupe 33 Yd Field Goal
ARI TD 3rd Period 10:46 Michael Carter 11 Yd Run (Matt Prater Kick)
NO TD 3rd Period 6:44 Spencer Rattler 4 Yd Run (Blake Grupe Kick)
ARI TD 4th Period 1:55 Tony Jones Jr. 10 Yd pass from Clayton Tune (Matt Prater Kick)
NO FG 4th Period 0:05 Charlie Smyth 37 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/no.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNO https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/ari.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originARI
17 1st Downs 17
9 Passing 1st downs 12
6 Rushing 1st downs 4
2 1st downs from penalties 1
5-15 3rd down efficiency 6-14
2-2 4th down efficiency 0-3
66 Total Plays 68
286 Total Yards 328
4.3 Yards per Play 4.8
11 Total Drives 11
185 Passing 183
20/36 Comp/Att 19/33
5.0 Yards per pass 4.9
0 Interceptions thrown 0
1-4 Sacks-Yards Lost 4-23
101 Rushing 145
29 Rushing Attempts 31
3.5 Yards per rush 4.7
1-4 Red Zone (Made-Att) 2-3
9-63 Penalties 7-84
0 Turnovers 0
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 0
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
28:50 Possession 31:10
Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Emari Demercado, RB Questionable Feb 17
Jonah Williams, OT Questionable Feb 10
BJ Ojulari, LB Questionable Feb 10
Bilal Nichols, DT Questionable Feb 10
Elijah Jones, CB Questionable Feb 10
New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Derek Carr, QB Questionable Mar 8
Taysom Hill, TE Questionable Feb 12
Rejzohn Wright, CB Questionable Feb 11
Nick Saldiveri, OT Questionable Feb 11
Rashid Shaheed, WR Questionable Feb 11

Game Information

State Farm Stadium

Location: Glendale, AZ
Attendance: 62,764 · Capacity:

2024 NFC South Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Tampa Bay 10 7 .588 0 502 385
Atlanta 8 9 .471 0 389 423
Carolina 5 12 .294 0 341 534
New Orleans 5 12 .294 0 338 398

2024 NFC West Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Los Angeles 10 7 .588 0 367 386
Seattle 10 7 .588 0 375 368
Arizona 8 9 .471 0 400 379
San Francisco 6 11 .353 0 389 436
Full Standings

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